Sunday, 9 November 2014

And now my friend, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain... rubbish! I haven't even mentioned it, but I moved to Germany a few months ago. I've really enjoyed my stay here so far. Germany is a great country, with loads of history and culture to offer as well as plenty of parks and woods and rivers and... the list could could go on and on. I'll end my post with a pic taken while I was walking in the woods, near to the Neuschwanstein Castle, in Bavaria.

Sunday, 19 October 2014

'Good morning, I would like to borrow these beek, please.'
'I beg you pardon?'
'I would like to borrow these beek.'

You have probably already inferred that the awkwardness in the dialogue was caused by the use of the word 'beek.' But it actually used to be the plural of 'book' in the past, just as 'eggru' was the plural of 'egg.' If you're an etymology geek (freak?) like me, watch this video by TED and learn a bit about old plural forms in English.

Thursday, 14 August 2014

Why, in times like these, when four out of five people have replaced much of live table chatting or old-fashioned GF-BF phoning by texting - mind you, even texting as we knew it has already changed after smartphones came along, having been largely replaced by Whatsapp or the likes of it - it is paramount that we learn some sort of writing etiquette.
Actually, we're used to reading people's body and facial gestures or even voice intonation as part of what they're trying to convey when they speak. Signals such as rolling one's eyes when they're bored, which in combination with a sentence such as 'yeah, yeah, I'm really looking forward to our holidays with my aunt and cousins in the countryside this Summer,' will express sarcasm. Even though many of these signals are now expressed by our beloved emoticons, people will still blunder more often than not. The odds of your getting through in some sort of unwanted way through writing are much higher than they used to be, so sit back and learn some tips on the subject of texting. =/ ........ no, no, I meant =), or actually =D=D=D

Sunday, 16 February 2014

I have recently come across this wonderful sample of our species, this lovely young man called Sam Berns. This guy suffered from a rare disease which made his body grow older far ahead of time. He unfortunately passed away shortly after having given a lecture at TED (at the age of 17), leaving us all a kind message of true inspiration. He was certainly one of the most courageous, admirable and brightest people I have ever heard of. I won't say much more about him, so that you might learn more from the article I'm sharing. Do watch the TED video, take in his precious advice and (maybe) give life as you're living some thought.